Long-awaited ‘Miles Ahead’ highlights music of jazz great

A sculpture of jazz trumpeter and Alton native Miles Davis stands in Downtown Alton, Illinois. Davis was born in Alton on May 26, 1926, and lived there for about a year, before his family moved to East St. Louis.

Scott Cousins/For the Telegraph

Finally, a movie about the life of trumpeter Miles Davis, who was born in Alton, to be released this week.

“Miles Ahead” is about the life and music of the legendary Miles Davis III, born on May 26, 1926, to an affluent family, living in Alton, Illinois at the time. His father, Miles Davis Jr., was a dentist, who in 1927, moved his family to East St. Louis, Illinois when Miles was 1 year old.

Due to Alton’s love of Davis, where many fans claim him as the city’s own because of his birth here, “Miles Ahead” is met with great anticipation by Riverbend admirers. Hundreds of people came out last September to the evening unveiling of a sculpture of Davis; the bronze sculpture now stands on Alton’s West Third Street. It is thought to be one of a handful of such statues memorializing the jazz great. Other known cities with such a tribute are Nice, France, and Kielce, Poland. The Miles Davis Memorial Project made the Alton bronze statue possible.

Before his death on September 28, 1991, he was considered one of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20th century.

It was in both East St. Louis and near Pine Bluff, Arkansas, where the family owned property. These locals are where the young Miles Davis developed his earliest appreciation for music, listening to gospel music in African-American congregational churches.

In 1944, the Billy Eckstine Band visited East St. Louis, which included members Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker; they invited Davis to play third trumpet for a couple of weeks because regular member, Buddy Anderson, was ill.

“Miles: The Autobiography,” from where I culled much of the information I present here, like Davis himself, holds nothing back. He writes frankly and openly about his drug problem and how he overcame it. He condemns the racism he encountered in the music business and in American society in general. He also discusses the women in his life.

Davis was married three times. His first wife was actress Frances Davis, his second was Betty Davis and his third was actress Cicely Tyson.

But most importantly, in his autobiography, Davis writes about his music and fellow musicians, including the legends he played with over the years, including Parker, Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane and Charles Mingus, among many others.

Considered one of the 10 best trumpeters of all time, Davis is only second to Louie Armstrong. The American jazz musician also was a composer and bandleader. Throughout the movie “Miles Ahead” the audience will be treated to Davis’ music, actually played by Davis, instead of an actor who “learned” to play a few notes or melodies. It is quite a treat.

Watch for my review of “Miles Ahead” in Thursday’s Telegraph in advance of its opening Friday.

Mary Cox is the Telegraph’s movie critic and freelance writer.

By Mary Cox

For The Telegraph

A sculpture of jazz trumpeter and Alton native Miles Davis stands in Downtown Alton, Illinois. Davis was born in Alton on May 26, 1926, and lived there for about a year, before his family moved to East St. Louis.

http://thetelegraph.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_9-13-miles-davis3.jpgA sculpture of jazz trumpeter and Alton native Miles Davis stands in Downtown Alton, Illinois. Davis was born in Alton on May 26, 1926, and lived there for about a year, before his family moved to East St. Louis. Scott Cousins/For the Telegraph